Hitherto, hydrocarbon solvents were used for these various operations and mainly chlorinated solvents such as, in particular, 1,1,1-trichloroethane, known in the art by the name T 111, as well as chlorofluoroalkanes such as 1,1,2-trichloro-1,2,2-trifluoroethane, known in the art by the name F 113.
However, these chloro and fluorochloro compounds are suspected of being responsible for the decrease in the stratospheric ozone layer which provides protection against certain radiations.
Following the Montreal Protocol which results from recent international discussions on the environment, these chloro or fluorochloro compounds will before long need to be replaced by substitutes having little or no destructive effect with respect to stratospheric ozone.
British patent application GB 2,175,004 proposes a cleaning composition for removing greases from metal or plastic surfaces, comprising from 85 to 97 parts by weight of non-aromatic hydrocarbons containing aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic compounds and from 3 to 15 parts by weight of aromatic compounds containing at least one alkyl group having from 8 to 18 carbon atoms.
However, this composition has the drawback of containing non-negligible amounts of aromatic compounds.
On account, in particular, of their relatively irritant nature, the use of such compounds in degreasing applications is seen to be increasingly limited, or even prohibited.
Application WO 91/19831 describes a composition comprising cycloparaffins, branched paraffins and at least one surfactant.
European patent application EP 0,474,053 describes, in Example 1 thereof, a composition consisting of:
69% by weight of cycloparaffins, PA1 29% by weight of isoparaffins, PA1 2% by weight of n-paraffins, PA1 1) 30 to 70% by volume of a glycol ether, PA1 2) 30 to 70% by volume of one or more linear, branched or cyclic aliphatic hydrocarbons having from 12 to 18 carbon atoms, PA1 3) from 0 to 10% by volume of at least one surfactant, and PA1 4) from 0 to 5% by volume of at least one inhibitor, fragrance or dye. PA1 i) from 75 to 90 parts by volume of a distillation fraction obtained by distillation of petroleum, the said fraction containing not less than 92% by weight, based on the total weight of the fraction, of hydrocarbons chosen from naphthenic and paraffinic hydrocarbons having from 8 to 15 atoms, and PA1 ii) 5 to 25 parts by volume of one or more branched or unbranched saturated aliphatic alcohols having from 5 to 15 carbon atoms.
and traces of aromatic compounds.
Application WO 93/06204 relates to a composition consisting essentially of:
Application WO 93/13246 relates to a composition comprising:
Chemical Abstracts, Vol. 115, No. 16, No. 161650 relating to JP-A-03062896, describes a cleaning composition containing at least 70% by weight of a saturated cyclic hydrocarbon having from 9 to 18 carbon atoms, and 0.1 to 30% by weight of an aliphatic alcohol having from 6 to 18 carbon atoms and/or a nonionic surfactant.